There are several tactics of App Store Optimization. One strategy to optimize your app on the App Store is to use your app category listing effectively to lift your app to the top of the search. With the new iPhone, the iOS 8 App Store has introduced subcategories to every one of their current 24 categories. This indicates a swelling increase in the app store optimizing opportunities. The increase in categories will result in the more likely possibility for your app to appear within the first few apps under their respective category or subcategory search.
Within these categories, Apple can feature related apps, which has a strong success (download) rate. Moreover, sub-categories also display second-tier subcategories. For example, as seen in the screenshots, when the user selects the explore tab they are taken to the standard 24 categories. In this scenario, the user selects ‘Food and Drink’. Under ‘Food and Drink’ appears several subcategories including ‘Beverages’. Then, by selecting ‘Beverages’ the user is brought to another selection of options: ‘Coffees’, ‘Juices’, ‘Recipes’, and ‘Tea’. This helps the user further specify their search and find an app that satisfies their need whilst also helping apps that are better suited to perform the specific service at hand rise to the top of the search list.
This new organization of the app store makes searches highly specific and more likely to bring potential users who seek your app’s service to your app. Apple advertises their update on their website with the slogan “Huge for developers. Massive for everyone else.” and explain that “[They] simply set out to create the most natural, most useful experience…”. Overall, it will be interesting to see how this new search model refines the way we find apps and how apps can now have an opportunity to shine in their special category.
